


Obstinate

by butterballturkeyofficial



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, heat - Freeform, idk desperation, its heat fic you guys, quarantine fic, tcest, yanno how this shit works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:01:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25680262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterballturkeyofficial/pseuds/butterballturkeyofficial
Summary: Leo and Raph are having a heat whether they want to or not, and whether it drives everyone else up a wall
Relationships: Donatello/Raphael (TMNT)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 38





	Obstinate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yanno who ya are](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=yanno+who+ya+are).



The overworld had been closed off and shut down for months. With the streets empty and the authority figures of the city watchful and over aggressive to keep everyone indoors, they were currently enduring what was their longest stint underground in the lair.

Which was fine. It was good. Spending quality time with family at close range was good team building and gave them the chance to talk and explore avenues of conversation they didn’t always have time for during the busy bustle that was trying to keep Shredder, the foot clan, and whatever currently rising tide of vengeful antagonism underwraps.

That’s what Donnie thought to himself as he hummed on the couch, licking his finger before he turned a page in his book. 

“You ever worry about your books just eventually getting all gross and sticky because you do that so often?” Mikey asked, as he peered at the dense tome in his grasp, a rather uninteresting (to Mikey at least) exploration of the history of New York City’s sewer systems.

“Not particularly, no,” Donnie sighed. A dull thunk sounded in the other room accompanied by a large shout, what was probably a snarl being forced out of Raph, and another thunk.

Things had not been fine between those two. There was a rising energy between them that seemed to build charge more and more as their imposed isolation from the overworld stretched longer and longer. 

He’d seen it in the way Raph randomly clenched his fists, his breath coming out faster from time to time, or in Leo’s newfound habit of neurotically pacing for hours, muttering about things.

It wasn’t good, but there wasn’t much they could do to stem the clearly rising swell of pent up energy and frustration, except let Leo and Raph go at each other like the wild dogs they sometimes saw fight over a stray bit of scrap in the streets.

They were all doing their best to keep sane, and even Splinter didn’t seem to have much comment on the usually frowned upon shows of outright aggression. 

As Mikey had aptly put it, “Better them snap at each other than at the rest of us.”

So maybe things weren’t fine but they were holding out on a threadbare string of being tolerable and for now Donnie supposed that was the best they could do. He himself felt the call of fresh air and long nights running roof to roof, but he had picked up the habit of lifting weights as a form of offsetting that call, and for the moment, it was working for him.

Training went a little easier and after a month or two Donnie found the added strength to be to his advantage in gaining the upper hand in fights. Sure it didn’t substitute the importance of good timing, situational awareness, or positioning, but he found himself getting the edge during the sparring matches with Raph and Leo far more often than he had been accustomed to previously. 

It’s a particular morning when he first begins to suspect something is way off base with his two brothers. Training goes as it should usually, warm ups and then Leo and Mikey are paired off, it’s him and Raph. Raph is anything but in top form. His moves are sluggish and his eyes hazy, his skin has a sheen to it which was to be expected after over an hour of intense physical activity, but something about it seems more copious and almost excessive compared to what he is used to seeing. 

Donnie wins all of their bouts but doesn’t bother to showboat or even make a small quip in Raph’s direction and his brother seems grateful for it. A time or two he feels bad because Raph is so out of it that a blatantly telegraphed sweep to his feet Raph has easily dodged a thousand other times sends him sprawling on his back and as Donnie leans in close to offer him a hand up, something in him itches.

It’s. He doesn’t know how to describe the feeling that he knows on some level what it is, but presently in his conscious stream of thought, he doesn’t know what it is. It feels familiar yet not, its definition vacant and void when he tries to dredge it up.

“You alright Raph?” Donnie asked, pulling his brother up and clasping him on the shoulder. Raph is breathing heavily still and Donnie starts to eye him with genuine concern. 

“Yeah,” he says, breath coming out in hot puffs, eyes unfocused for a minute before he looks Donnie in the eyes, focus sharpening and for a minute Donnie sees a flash of irritation and the edge of something else. Donnie realizes he is still touching Raph when Raph pointedly shrugs him off.

“Sorry,” Donnie murmurs as Raph turns away from him, shoulders hunched, tail tucked down.

“S’ok, I’m going to go lay down a bit, not feeling too great,” Raph says without a glance backwards, and with that Donnie is just left to himself watching Mikey and Leo spar and occasionally commenting on their footwork.

“What happened to Raph?” Mikey says after their bout ends, looking at Donnie with a raised eye ridge.

“Guess he’s not feeling well today,” Donnie said with a shrug. “Didn’t press him for more, didn’t seem like he was in the mood to talk about it.”

“He’ll be fine,” Leo said, and the confidence in his voice struck Donnie a little odd. He looked at their eldest brother and noticed that he wasn’t far off from looking as Raph had. The difference was where physical discomfort or whatever it had been, had distracted Raph and made him loose and sloppy, Leo seemed to react by pulling himself tighter and tenser. His movements were high strung and jerky, lacking the smooth flow and intuition that he usually had, but not really being the lax, uncoordinated affair that Raph’s sparring had been. 

Mikey had seemingly keyed into the fact that his sparring partner was operating at a disadvantage and had softened his blows and slowed down his movements. He hadn’t sent Leo sprawling the way Donnie had to Raph on accident, but he still won all of their bouts with Leo.

“Alright, this seems like enough for today,” Leo said. He was bent in half panting slightly and he sheathed his weapons, leaving the dojo without further comment.

“Somethings a bit off with them two,” Mikey said as his gaze lingered in the direction both their brothers had disappeared in.

“They seem sick, like they have a fever,” Donnie said absentmindedly, his thought process trying to churn through all the times his brothers had been ill and draw comparisons. 

“They smell funny too,” Mikey said and then a look of discomfort passed on his face as he seemed to mull on a thought.

“What is it?” Donnie asked, noticing the change.

“They kinda smell the way dogs sometimes do when they're... yanno,” Mikey gestured vaguely. “In heat.”

Comprehension of the situation hit Donnie like a brick. Oh. Oh. It was unpleasant to think about the idea that the answer, simple and blunt, had been dwelling in front of them all week.

“You think that’s what it is?” Mikey asked, peering at Donnie intently.

“I think only Raph and Leo can really affirm that for us right now, it’s not as if we know what that would even look like for us. And that’s if they have any idea themselves.”

“I think they kinda do. I, uh, Raph and me,” Mikey started before just, gesturing vaguely rather than saying it out loud. Donnie nodded. The two of them had the higher libidos of the group and spent a lot of time taking care of each other as a result.

“Yeah, uh well. We haven’t done anything for about a week and Raph doesn’t really seem to like me touching him right now so… I think they know and they just aren’t super happy about it.”

Donnie sighed. He didn’t even want to dwell what complex lay hidden in the rougher edges of his two brothers’ personalities that led to their trouble expressing vulnerability. It drove him nuts enough already in dire situations. This was not yet a dire situation.

“For now, let’s let the situation ride,” Donnie said with an air of finality, because really that was all they could do. Let Leo and Raph sort themselves out or each other, or come to him and Mikey for help, hopefully before the situation was dire.

Mikey shrugged, “Sure but can we start pairing them off with each other during sparring, the smell,” he sniffed dramatically. “Is really starting to get to me.”

\---

The days go on and things only get worse. Donnie doesn’t know what deep part of his brother’s psyche ached to itch and be dissatisfied in this particular way, but as they sit looking sweaty and miserable, he morosely thinks about how he’d love to study it in a more contained manner.

He had caught the two of them in the middle of *ahem* self entertainment, more times in one week than he had in probably his entire life before that. Raph, he had caught in a rather creative position, humping a couch pillow that he had given to Mikey to burn outside the lair next morning. His patience with these little run ins was quickly running out.

As much as Leo and Raph are suffering, so are he and Mikey. They're sitting together on the couch, staring listlessly at something flashing on the tv when Mikey draws himself out of a stupor to speak. Donnie is toying with something from his lab in his lap, and doesn’t bother to look up.

“Can you believe,” Mikey says with a sniff, which he immediately seems to regret. “That all they have to do, is the one most enjoyable thing. And yet here we are.”

Donnie could believe it, on account of watching his brother’s pride routinely drag them into unpleasant situations.

“Maybe we should talk to them,” Donnie muttered, still fiddling with the device until he heard a small snap of a particularly sensitive chip he had been trying to wedge into a rather finicky port. He sighed, dropping the device onto the couch and slumping backwards. He didn’t know how much longer they could continue at this rate.

“You think I haven’t tried? Leo ignores me and pretends like he doesn’t know what I’m talking about and Raph looks about ready to tear my head off if I so much as look like I’m starting that kind of conversation.”

“Okay, I will talk to them,” Donnie said with a tired shake of his head, hands coming up to rub at his eyes. The smell made it hard to sleep, the nights for all of them were restless and often he could hear Leo out on the walk outside their rooms, pacing. “And tell them they can either sort this out with some kind of help, or ride it out in the lab. But what they cannot do is continue to stink up the lair.”

Donnie takes a moment to figure out how to approach this before standing. Mikey claps him on the back of his shell as he walks past.

“Thanks Don, you’re saving all our tails.”

“Thank me when I accomplish something,” Donnie grunts dismally in reply.

He finds Leo in the dojo, going through footwork with his sword. He barely seems to register his presence until Donnie loudly clears his throat. Leo doesn’t quite startle, but the barest motion passes through his body as he turns to look at Donnie.

“You need something?” he says in a rather clipped tone that admittedly grates on Donnie.

“Do you?” 

Expression unreadable, Leo just stares back at him without a word until Donnie sighs and continues.

“Look, you and Raph are both going through a biological irregularity,” Donnie starts, toeing around the word because saying it would mean forcing Leo to acknowledge a reality and he doesn’t know if he has the wherewithal for that particular uphill battle.

“And?” 

“And it’s affecting everyone, so if you don’t want assistance,” Leo’s stance grows decidedly more guarded at that word. “Then I ask you to take yourself to the lab where we can try and figure out some sort of solution or shortcut or way to ease things.”

Leo is quiet for another long minute. FInally the tension droops out of his shoulders and he squares himself up a bit more as he looks at Donnie.

“What if I want the assistance?” there's the barest hint of a tremor in his voice.

“Then between you and whoever you need, ask for it. Nothings going to change by asking for assistance with something that is out of your control,” Donnie said, and cautiously, he put a hand on Leo’s shoulder. “No one’s looking at you any different for this Leo, just… handle it in a way you can be okay with in retrospect.”

There's a tight nod, and a slightly forced, “Thanks Don”, and the room is just him again. Relieved slightly by how nonconfrontational talking with Leo was, he shifts his attention to his next target.

Raph is in his room, centered on his bed, eyes shut. It’s as close to peaceful as he’s seen him these past few days and he almost looks like Leo until a single eye opens to peer irritably at Donnie before relaxing a bit as he registers that it’s Donnie.

Their relationship, for whatever reason, had always been relatively easier going compared to the strife that came between Raph and Leo, and the near constant mild irritation that Mikey roused out of him. He was counting on that to work in his favor.

“Hey Don,” he says, and his voice sounds fainter than usual with more of a rasp to it.

“Hi Raph,” Donnie returns.

“Need something from me?” 

“I was wondering if we could talk about,” Donnie gestures vaguely struggling to come up with a tactful way to approach the issue without coming across as beating around the bush. What worked for Leo would come across as coddling to Raph.

“About my heat,” Raph says to Donnie’s mild surprise.

“Yeah that.”

“I figured it was gonna drive everyone nuts eventually,” Raph said with a deep sigh. 

“It’s getting under Mikey and I’s skin a bit, yeah,” Donnie said earnestly, as he sat down cross legged in front of Raph’s bed.

“I could guess, I sent Mikey out of here packin’ I don’t know how many times.”

“For trying to help?” 

Raph sighed and shrugged jerkily. “S’different with him. I don’t need another thing for him to rib me over. Or Leo.” 

“I don’t think-,” Donnie started, before Raph held up a hand to cut him off.

“You don’t need to think, you don’t. It’s different with you,” Raph said and the first hints of agitation are starting to show so Donnie doesn’t push it. The situation has reached its final hour and arguing viewpoints wasn’t going to gain him any ground.

“Do you want help?” 

“Yeah,” Raph nods, looking at Donnie with a weak, tense smile. “Yeah I do. It actually hurts y’know. Don’t feel so great.” 

“Okay Raph just, calm down a little,” Donnie said, moving closer to put a hand out on his shoulder.

“Been trying to do that fer the last week, Don, hasn’t exactly panned out,” Raph grunted dryly. His hands were grasped around Donnie’s biceps and the feel of the cordoned muscle under his grip was doing absolutely nothing to cool the flare that had been dwelling in the pit of his gut for far too long now. 

“If you had explained your situation, earlier,” Donnie started but cut himself up when Raph’s face pinched up in agitation and shame. He puts a hand on his cheek.

“Hey,” he said, tone softening. “I’m here to help you out with this in whatever way is least embarrassing for you. We can do this your way, alright. Or not at all. If you don’t want to alleviate the symptoms and want to push through them while I monitor them-”.

“Stop,” Raph wheezed face tightening with what he was sure was another wave of discomfort. “It’s fine, I just, just got a few hang ups about gettin’ help is all. Especially with this kind of thing.”

“Understandable,” Donnie nodded. He lets a peaceful silence stretch between them as Raph seems to pull his thoughts together and find some presence of mind.

“Okay, alright, I wanna do this on my back,” Raph said, much to Donnie’s surprise.

“You sure-.”

“Don, if you’re gonna question me every fuckin’ step of this, it isn’t going to make it any easier,” Raph said through gritted teeth, tone alight with strained patience.

“Alright, alright, no more double checking,” Donnie placated.

“Thanks,” Raph said and Donnie helped ease him onto his back, supported underneath by pillows.

Donnie’s arms come up around him and Raph is feeling his arm again, gaze distracted as he feels the muscle flex under his touch. 

“You uh, you got nice arms now Don.”

“Had to do something to keep me busy while we’re stuck inside,” he smiled.

Before Raph could struggle to put some sort of retort together, Donnie kissed him and the train of thought inside of Raph’s head abruptly went dark.

It didn’t take much for him to find himself hard and out and once that had happened, Donnie didn’t hesitate to grip him and start jerking him off.

“Stop, stop,” Raph hissed, hand digging into Donnie’s shoulder, not enough to leave a mark but enough to make its presence known. 

“Oh,” Donnie let go in alarm, looking apologetic. “Sorry.”

“It’s not you,” Raph said with a smile that came out more like a wince. “It’s just a bit tender right now from overuse, y’know?”

Donnie nodded.

Raph pulled away from him a bit and rustled through a mess of sheets to toss something at him. Donnie caught it and without having read it, knew what it was. He uncapped the tube and quickly slicked his fingers down with it before pressing one gently into Raph.

The appreciative groan that came out of him was light and airy, Raph’s expression pleasured, a nice contrast from the pinched sweating mess it had been before.

“That feel good?” Donnie asked as he coaxed another groan from Raph.

“What’d I just say about questions?” Raph said, tone harsh but his expression betraying his lack of any real ire.

“Come on,” Donnie goaded him, pushing in another finger and starting to scissor it. The feel was hotter and a bit more slick than he was used to, the wetness quickly pooling around his fingers and dripping onto the bed. Donnie stared at it, impressed “Jeez, this is pretty- It’s a lot. How did you manage like this for so long?”

“Lot of showers, lot of exercise, lot of jackin’ it. None of it that helpful, but it took off the edge,” Raph provided, eyes drifting closed as he focused on the feelings overcoming him. Suddenly the heat around him grew tighter and wetter than before, gripping his fingers before relaxing, a strangled sound easing up out of Raph’s throat as he went loose at each joint.

“Did you just?” Donnie started to ask.

Raph covered his face with a hand, breathing in slowly as he recovered. “Yeah, yeah. I get a lot of little ones from stuff like that. It’s not satisfying but it makes things less miserable.”

“Should I stop?”

“Hell no, just give me a minute,” Raph snapped.

“Ya think that Leo and Mikey are going at it?” Raph asked as quiet took over the room and his breathing started to even out.

“Probably, I talked to Leo, same as you, he seemed more inclined to do something about it afterwards,” Donnie said with a shrug, before grinning down at Raph and rapping his knuckles on his plastron. “If not I suppose you’re gonna get to experience what it’s like to be around someone soaked in pheromones.”

Raph snorted, hand still resting over his eyes, “Guess so. Alright Don, ready when you are.”

Donnie found himself slicked up and edging in a few moments later. He was gentle, which was nice, in a way. The burn and ache of a biological need faded away as Raph focused on a more pleasurable, less demanding form of heat building up within him.

“It’s good,” he murmurs out, before Donnie can pester him with questions. He lets the pace go on for a while, before the nagging feeling of not enough starts to prickle and Raph’s skin starts to tingle in that odd way. His breath is coming out in short pants.

“Don, let me,” Raph grunts and instead of articulating he lets Donnie slip out of him, shoving him down onto the bed with a grunt before returning, squatting over him and lining himself up and then-

The pace he sets is harsher, sharper, his muscles feeling the burn as he lifts himself up and down. When he looks down, Donnie's eyes are closed in bliss and a hand is on his hip, urging him on.

The heat that had been coiling in his stomach rises, higher and higher, the burn, the friction becoming something pleasurable. And after all those nights of aching and nausea the dam breaks all at once as he feels himself come again, this time the sensation stronger, richer. It pulses through his body, making him feel dizzy and disoriented and good.

He barely notices when Donnie comes with a grunt under him, merely shifting off, letting him slide out of him before slumping down, plastron to plastron with him. He puts his face in Donnie’s neck a moment, pulling in the scent and heat of him, before rolling off to lie on his back.

“Thanks, needed that,” Raph panted as he struggled to regulate himself. His body felt tired but also at the same time light, and relieved, as the imposing thundercloud that was his ailment rolled off to harrow him some other day.

“Anytime,” Donnie said, letting his eyes slipped closed into what was probably the most sound night of sleep he’d be getting all month.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry buckos its been a bit and im admittedly in a weird spot with my interest in this fandom. I might pop off a few things going through new material, but if not I'm sure my pal will squeeze a few more fics out of me. 
> 
> If this feels off, its bc i havent written for the community in a year, sorry bout that.
> 
> As always I could probably continue this with a Mike/Leo thing, maybe I will, or maybe I'll take an older iteration of this idea that was ML and finish that.


End file.
